Here’s hoping that the dust-up between Florida International University and the Miami Herald is an example of management not heeding wiser PR counsel, because FIU’s decision to refuse access by a Herald football reporter isn’t doing the school’s reputation any favors. In case you missed it: FIU decided it wouldn’t offer press credentials to the Herald’s David J. Neal for the Golden Panthers’ football home opener against Bethune-Cookman University, citing “concerns” about his coverage. The Herald immediately yanked all reporters from the game, meaning FIU’s opener gets no ink in the Miami paper. Neal has been covering the team for three years—“fairly,” according to the Herald. That means, of course, some of Neal’s articles were complimentary, others weren’t. It would seem the latter is what ruffled the Golden Panthers’ fur. Although FIU’s media statement wasn’t specific, it hinted at coverage it considered disrespectful. “We did not issue a media credential to the Herald's beat reporter because of concerns we have brought up to the Herald's reporter and editors over the past few years about the reporter's interactions with our student athletes, coaches, and staff, and the nature of the resulting coverage. We welcome coverage of our athletics program that is professional and respectful of our student athletes and our institution.” In other words, “We didn’t like what he wrote, so he can’t come over anymore.” Neal’s access to the school has been on the decline in recent months, according to reports, even going so far as to cancel its football media day because Neal planned to attend. Most recently, he has been banned from football practice and told that athletes were prohibited from talking to him. Not having read any of Neal’s stories—though I understand FIU’s football program is troubled—I can’t say whether his work is balanced or not. And thus far, FIU has not explained specifically why it stiff-armed Neal. But the reality is this: trying to “fire” a beat reporter is futile at best. When it comes to the Fourth Estate, you don’t get to pick the reporter who covers you. FIU claims it will discuss the situation with Herald leadership in the days to come “and continue a positive working relationship.” And that, folks, is an attempt to place cheap lipstick on FIU’s reputational pig. Actually, the beneficiary in all this might be Neal, according to Sun-Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde. “David J. Neal, you lucky dog, you. Florida International University not only has done you a favor by promoting your name in a manner covering them never could [but] you don't have to sit through their games.”

We love tips. I don’t mean gratuities (though my friends in the restaurant industry love those, too). I mean advice or insights, usually presented as a list, that help people accomplish something. Weight-loss tips, job-search tips, gardening tips—the topics are endless. When done well, tips work because they break daunting tasks into simple steps. They’re a road map; follow the tips, and you’ll reach your goal. But as with any successful tactic, tips can be overplayed. Search “helpful tips” online, and you’ll get more than 150 million hits—everything from dealing with lactose intolerance to housecleaning tips for lazy people. Tips are a great tool for communicating with and engaging people, especially around overwhelming or complex topics. The key is to make sure they aren’t overused. To that end, here are three tips for creating tips:Be relevant. You wouldn’t send a group of vegans a guide for grilling burgers. Likewise, the tips you assemble have to be something to which your audience relates. That means knowing your audience and what engages them.Be meaningful. Not only must tips be relatable to the audience, they need to be usable. Too many communicators rely on tips as merely a gimmick to hook people. That might work, but if done without strategic thought you risk losing those people. Use tips as you would any tool—apply them if they’re the best way to connect your audience to your message, and eschew them if they aren’t.Be succinct. So … who’s up for slogging through 75 tips for a healthier summer? My guess is, not many of us. In this era of ever-shrinking attention spans, it’s better to focus on a few tips that are the most important, even if that means leaving out a few good ones. Tips are fun and useful in communication. Let’s be sure we use them effectively, not endlessly.

Consider this: An organization issues a news release about an event. A day or two later, having heard nothing from reporters, the group sends the release again, this time with a subject-line plea /demand in capital letters and many exclamation points. The result: Reporters show up for the event. One even apologizes. No one is more surprised by this outcome than I am. Indeed, I would expect an all-caps command performance to earn the organization zero news coverage and a permanent place in spam folders. So what should we conclude when a seemingly wrong tactic leads to a positive result? In this case, I spent some time mulling my long-held views about pitching reporters—and landed where I began. In reaching out to news media, we should start with an understanding of what a reporter considers newsworthy and how the event or announcement we’re pitching fits with those priorities. The group that went the all-caps route was fortunate; the event being promoted was a newsworthy one. Coverage resulted in spite of the approach, not because of it. My view: The end does not justify the means.What do you think? Should PR professionals aggressively demand coverage? Or does that put relationships and future coverage at risk?